Nobody actually prepares you for the experiences you’re about to have before entering university. Sure, people warn you about the workload, tell you to stay on track and go to office hours, and remind you to enjoy every second of it, but there are some things you can only really understand once you’re living through them yourself.
After surviving my first year at U of T, here are a few things I could tell you to make you feel less alone while starting a new journey in your life.
Soo… High School Was a Scam
Well, perhaps “scam” is somewhat hyperbolic, but trust me when I say that high school was not a preparation for university for me.
I watched so many first-years, including myself, struggle with the jump from high school to university. You suddenly realize that what used to work for you before isn’t working anymore, and you can’t cram everything the night before the test. Everything moves much faster, 24 hours in a day seem like far too little time, and before you know it, your grades may even start to make you question your whole life’s worth.
Almost everybody goes through that struggle at some point, and a bad mark does not equal stupidity or a lack of belonging somewhere.
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